If you’re looking to celebrate this Labor Day weekend, the London Health Sciences Center (LHSC) wants you to do so responsibly.
The London, Ontario hospital network is spreading the safety message in hopes of reducing avoidable trips to its emergency rooms, which continue to experience longer-than-normal waits.
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Last weekend, the average wait time at LHSC ERs exceeded 10 hours for those with less urgent or less urgent concerns.
Many other emergency physicians in the province have repeatedly dealt with the same problem in recent months.
Our Emergency Departments (ED) have longer wait times than normal.
Some patients may face significant waits as the most seriously ill are treated first.
In a medical emergency, dial 911 or go to an emergency room.
Non-emergency supply options: https://t.co/8hX0Wx8Vgj pic.twitter.com/dA0L2s5vAF
— London Health Sciences Center (@LHSCCanada) August 26, 2022
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“If you go out and drink or do drugs, make sure you have a safe route to and from your destination and go in with a few options for how to get there,” said Jennifer Britton, an injury prevention specialist at LHSC.
Noting that thousands of students from Fanshawe College and Western University will be arriving in the city just before Labor Day, Britton also suggests putting a safety plan in place before the party starts.
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“The buddy system … that’s having someone you hang out with all night, who you check in with, and you make sure that person comes home safely at the end of the night.”
Britton adds that summer is often recognized as trauma season in the region, with 320 adult and pediatric patient incidents already brought to Victoria Hospital.
“These are serious, life-threatening injuries,” Britton said.
“We try everything we can to prevent these injuries and it’s usually the case to make a different decision – not to get behind the wheel after having a drink, keep your phone off and take appropriate action if you’re am beach.”
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Regarding LHSC’s emergency departments, Dr. Christie MacDonald, chief of emergency medicine, that they are seeing an increase in patient volume and complexity.
“We try to creatively guide patients in the ER through our own four walls. You may be brought in for an exam and then taken back to the waiting room, you may have accelerated X-rays before you are seen by a doctor,” MacDonald said.
“What patients might not appreciate is the ambulance volumes coming in through the back door, so I think for patients, be prepared for waits, be kind. We work, we try to see our patients and be respectful.”
MacDonald also wants patients to know that not everything requires a visit to the emergency room. This can include cuts, scrapes, fevers, colds, and simple fractures.
“There are certain caveats, if you have chest pains or stroke-like symptoms, by all means call 911 and go to the nearest emergency room, but for things that may have happened, knee pain for three or four weeks or something like that “There are other areas you can get treatment in,” MacDonald added.
LHSC also provides a list of non-emergency medical assistance options on its website.
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